Don’t fear BJP, they want to finish off secularism: Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: A day after the arrest of an MP of her party in connection with the Saradha scam, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday launched a blistering attack against the Modi government, accusing it of “selective vendetta” against her and the party and dared the Centre to impose President’s rule and arrest her.

“Amake jail-e pathak, dekhe nebo (Let them send me to jail, I will see to it. I will see how big a jail is there,” Banerjee said addressing a party meeting in Kolkata attended by MPs, ministers and MLAs.

“If we are hit, we will retaliate. We accept all challenges,” Banerjee, chief of the Trinamool Congress, said.

She told party workers not to ‘fear the BJP’, asking them to unite against the conspiracies of the saffron party.

Daring the Centre to impose President’s rule in the state, she said, “I challenge them to impose President’s rule. We will reply through ballots. We are not slaves of power. We only work for people. We will organise protest against selective vendetta against us.”

“They want to silence all voices of dissent. Even Sonia Gandhi is not opening out. They are afraid of me, hence they are engaging in conspiracies,” Banerjee said.